Storytelling on the Flannel Board

A literacy centre that has been very busy lately is our flannel board.  We have a collection of pieces that the students use to retell and create original stories.  This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to engage in discussions and the oral language possibilities are endless.

Over the past couple weeks, two of the boys in our class have been repeat visitors to the flannel board.  While working together, they have created many interesting stories and talked about everything from the sun's energy to comparing lengths and sizes.  It is so interesting to just sit back and listen.  Even more exciting was to see the way the boys worked together to create an interconnected story!

February Oral Language Activities

Here are the February activities to promote oral language and early literacy skills.  How many can you and your child complete this month?

A tip for each day!	√
It's a new month...clap out its syllables.../Feb//ru//ar//y/.
What is a Meteorologist?  Watch the 6 o'clock news.
Sing a song about numbers. (e.g., "Five Little Monkeys")
Talk about nutritious snacks...go and find one in the fridge.
Say these words...sit, pot and hat.  What's the last sound you hear?
Mealtime conversation...Talk about what you did after school.
Show me a grumpy face.  What does it mean?
Let's bake!  Find and follow a recipe.
Practice the rules of conversation.  e.g., "My turn to talk -- your turn to listen."
Name three things you can open.
Listen to the word, /up/..is it a long word or a short word?  Name some short words.
The dentists sas you need to take better care of your teeth.  What things do you need to do?
Use and explain vocabulary wow words..."Mommy is exhausted", that means she's very tired.
Say "mailbox".  Say it again but don't say box.
The sounds in this word are /s/ /t/ /ar/.  Can you guess the word?
What fruits sound like these silly words:  cananan...perry...zapple?
Play a board game.  Talk about all the things you need before you begin.
Name words that thyme with /oat/.
How do you know when you're sick?  What helps you feel better?
Teach problem solving skills...I can only find one mitten, what should I do?
It's time to set the table, what do you need?
Look in a magazine, find a picture and tell a story about it.
Practice following detailed instructions.  (e.g., "Put your shoes on, zip up your coat and open the door."
Let's talk about chocolate.  Go and eat some!
Use the telephone.  Call someone in your family.
Name three animals that live in the cold.
Count the words in this sentence.  "It is snowing."

Provided by: The Speech and Language Services Department of 

                      the Greater Essex County District School Board

December Oral Language Activities

Here are the December activities to promote oral language and early literacy skills.  How many can you and your child complete this month?

A tip for each day!	√
What 2 words do you hear in “candycane”? What sound does ‘candy’ and ‘cane’ start with?
Do you know another word for “present”? (gift, package)
Here’s a riddle for you: What is warm, chocolate, and has marshmallows?
New word: “famished” What does that mean?
Name as many things that you can think of that come in a can (pop, peas, soup, etc.)
Let’s drum out the beats in the word “decorations” [de/co/ra/tions]—4 parts.
Tell 5 things that you will need for winter that you do NOT need for summer.  Use complete sentences (e.g., I will need gloves, I will need boots….)
Make popcorn. Talk about how it looks (before and after it pops), sounds, smells and tastes.
How many words can you think of that rhyme with the word “sack”? (e.g., tack, rack, pack).
Watch a holiday video with your child. Who were the characters? What was it about?
What do you do with these things: snow shovel, sled, scarf, present, snowball
Let’s stretch out the sounds in the word: “lights” [l-igh-t-s]—4 sounds
Let’s write a list of our favourite things!
Tell me another word for “sparkly”.
Tell me one thing that belongs in each category: furniture, sports, tools
How many things can you think of that zip up? (coat, pants, back pack, pencil case)
What sound do you hear in the middle of these words: doll, log, box, song
Let’s name or point to something that is: *long, *short, *hot, *cold,*sweet, *sour
Which 2 words go together best: mittens, boots, cookies.  Tell me how/why they go together.
What does it mean if a person says “I am roasting in here!”
What kinds of things might you see in a toy store?
Find as many “white” things as you can!
How may syllables do you hear in the word “holiday” [ho/li/day]—3 parts
Tell me some words that rhyme with “tree” (e.g., bee, me, see, etc.)
Sing a holiday song with your family.  Tell what the song is about using complete sentences.  What is your favourite song?
What sound do you hear at the end of these words: love, give, have, save
Tell me where you might find these things: socks, juice, plate, coat, dirty dishes
What is crunchy, orange and used to make a snowman?
Have a chat or look at pictures from this year with your family: “What did you do this year?” “Where did you go?” “What was your favourite thing about this year?” “What do you hope to do next year?”
What month comes next?  Do you know what year it will be?  Bye-Bye 2010!

Provided by: The Speech and Language Services Department of 

                      the Greater Essex County District School Board

Discussion + Collaboration = Mathematical Understanding

Communication is key in many areas of life.  So to, in our classroom.  We love to discuss, share ideas, collaborate and just plain talk about what we are doing, thinking and learning!  One of the toughest areas to effectively communicate for students is often in math.  Sharing ideas, and mathematical thinking can be tough.  However, with the help of a partner, it's often a bit easier.  Here is one example of how talking, sharing and discussing helped the students better understand a math concept.


We have just started our unit which focuses on Addition and Subtraction to 12.  We are in the first stages, just learning how to combine parts to create a whole.  Today we talked about how trains are made up of many cars.  We used connecting cubes to represent the cars, and partner groups worked to find all the different number combinations that make 7.  The students were excited for the challenge, and went straight to work.  Here they are in action...

Working together, the students were able to communicate their answers.  

Students Making Connections

Our day is full of various learning activities.  The main goal is to get students talking, interacting, discussing and exploring.  When given the chance to create and explore, it is amazing to see what learning takes place.  An exciting learning moment happened today during Literacy Centres.  


A small group of students were using play dough to create letters, names and words (this is one our favourite Literacy Centres right now).  The students at the centre were creating words, talking about what words they had created, and what they would work on next.  This conversation evolved into a discussion about the other languages the children speak at home.  Before we knew it, students were creating words in English, and in the various other languages they speak.  The students were comparing the symbols/characters they were using and what they each meant.  What a powerful learning opportunity presented itself!  These students truly connected and learned with each other and from each other.